1. I love these sketches based on the original Conan movie.



2. Part of a good article about a successful NFL agent:

Like many agents, Segal went to law school, but never intended to find his fortune in the sports world. He was hired by a large "white-shoe" firm out of college, but says he quickly lost interest in the day-to-day grind of life in a big law office.



So he quit and moved back to his parents house. He had followed the careers of legendary sports agents like Leigh Steinberg and Bob Woolf and decided that was where he wanted to try his hand.



He printed up some business cards with his mother's phone number on them and began cold calling football players. It's not easy for an unknown lawyer with no office and no experience to convince professional athletes to trust him with their financial future. "A lot of guys hung up on me," he says.



Eventually, Segal landed his first client in Brad "Mr. Smooth" Baxter, a little-known running back for the New York Jets. Once he got that first client, however, the doors were opened and it wouldn't take long for other players to come through it.

3. This is actually a pretty interesting legal question (NSFW). Via.



*Buy sketch cards at eBay.

READ MORE - Link roundup

1. Here's a riddle:

“Why would a tiny woman with no criminal record, who worked 10 years on Wall Street, randomly hold up people at gunpoint at night dressed as a policewoman?”

Absolutely bizarre answer.

2. There's a new Humble Indie Bundle.

3. A claim that China is disassembling and burying the crashed bullet trains to hide evidence. Via.

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First, Penn and Teller speak against video game violence. They certainly have a point, but I think it might be more about the wisdom of banning football (via):



Jon Stewart had the better view several weeks ago:

The Daily Show - Moral Kombat
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

(When I saw the new Mortal Kombat fatalities, I called them snuff films.)

READ MORE - Two sides of the video game violence debate

1. A few weeks ago Andy Baio mentioned that he'd reluctantly settled for $30,000 a lawsuit in which he was accused of using a photographer's intellectual property. I mentioned at the time, without explaining my reasoning, that I thought he'd indeed stolen the photographer's intellectual property. Well, this post does an excellent job explaining why.

But that's really only half the story. Predictably, internet users angered by the photographer's attempt to protect his intellectual property attacked the photographer both in cyberspace and in the real world. This is a fascinating summary of what occurred. There's a bit of commentary on that post here (make sure to read the "featured comments"). (And from that same site, here's some great photographs). Via.

2. "Hypoallergenic dogs don't actually produce fewer allergy-provoking proteins than other dogs, say researchers who put the claims to the test." Via.

3. Some snails not only survive being eaten and digested by birds, but actually use the experience as a means of travel. Via.

READ MORE - Link roundup

1. Some useful commentary about the current federal budget negotiations. (I tend to discount any commentary that presumes that Obama and his aides are stupid.)

2. It's going to be so hot in Qatar during the World Cup that they might play three 30 minute periods instead of two 45 minute halves. That's right, the games were awarded to a country where playing the game by the established rules will likely be impossible.

3. There's no self service gas stations in New Jersey? All gas has to be pumped by an attendant? In Los Angeles you almost never see full service advertised.

READ MORE - Link roundup

1. Some interesting predictions about the future of the legal profession. Via.

2. Apple not only censors emails sent by Me.com users, but doesn't even tell the users that their emails have been blocked?

3. The keys to finding a job in Hollywood.

READ MORE - Link roundup

A few panels from Detective Comics #233 circa 1956, featuring the origin of Kathy Kane/Batwoman and her cosmetic-themed arsenal.

*Buy Batwoman toys at eBay.

READ MORE - The Law of Gotham City

1. A good reminder that you should read every article critically because the author probably has all sorts of biases you don't know about.

2. The stories about Mark Zuckerberg are going to get weirder and weirder, right?

3. Lawyer complains that his opponent is using a large-breasted woman to distract the jury.

READ MORE - Link roundup

1. I'm not saying I agree with her assertions, but it's fascinating to read how a defense attorney would go about defending Dominique Strass-Kahn.

2. A football player drafted in the seventh round by the Bills has lost 75 pounds:

The Tennessean has a story today about [Michael] Jasper’s journey from Bethel to the NFL and from a high of 448 pounds to a svelte 375, and it includes details like the fact that Bethel didn’t have a scale that would register higher than 400 pounds, so when Jasper needed to monitor his progress in trying to lose weight, he’d go to the McKenzie Feed & Grain Store.

3. Sounds like the start of a thriller:

An outbreak of smallpox was the farthest thing from Paul Levengood's mind when his staff at the Virginia Historical Society put together an exhibit of "bizarre bits" in the society's collection since its founding in 1831.

There was Confederate President Jefferson Davis's cigar, confiscated by Union troops. There was a fungus carving of Robert E. Lee on his horse Traveller and a wreath made of human hair.

Then someone mentioned a letter, handwritten and dated 1876, with what appeared to be a smallpox scab pinned inside—light brown, about the size of a pencil eraser, and crumbling.

Via.

READ MORE - Link roundup

1. Sad, sad article about the crooked tricks colleges use to comply with Title IX:

At the University of South Florida, more than half of the 71 women on the cross-country roster failed to run a race in 2009. Asked about it, a few laughed and said they did not know they were on the team.

At Marshall University, the women’s tennis coach recently invited three freshmen onto the team even though he knew they were not good enough to practice against his scholarship athletes, let alone compete. They could come to practice whenever they liked, he told them, and would not have to travel with the team.

At Cornell, only when the 34 fencers on the women’s team take off their protective masks at practice does it become clear that 15 of them are men. Texas A&M and Duke are among the elite women’s basketball teams that also take advantage of a federal loophole that allows them to report male practice players as female participants.

2. From an interview about Portal 2:

At one point two years ago some Cave Johnson dialogue got leaked – so I can now tell you, two years ago Cave was the bad guy in Portal 2 and GLaDOS wasn’t in the game. It was a prequel. We liked the character enough that we snuck him into this.

3. Great article about the balancing act bloggers must perform. (I typically crank out posts before bedtime or before I leave for work in the morning, and schedule posts to appear throughout the day. I also try to post items I hope you haven't seen elsewhere.)

READ MORE - Link roundup

1. George Mason University School of Law invented a new grade - - the A+*.

2. You can watch a live stream from Coachella at Youtube.

3. Jeaux Janovsky is looking for commissions.

4. Josh Howard, too.

READ MORE - Link roundup

1. How to make a battery out of pennies. Via.

2. MSNBC:

The Los Angeles City Attorney's office is trying a new legal maneuver to try to stamp out graffiti — it's charging 10 graffiti writers with violating unfair competition laws because they're selling works on the strength of reputations built on vandalism.
Assistant City Attorney Anne Tremblay says these graffiti writers — all associated with the MTA tagging crew — have an unfair advantage over legitimate artists because they gained notoriety through crime.

Via.

3. WebMD:

Electronic faucets may be touch-free, but they are far from germ-free. In a new study, researchers at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine report finding higher levels of disease-carrying bacteria on hands-free faucets compared to conventional, manually operated faucets.

Via these sites.

*Buy chemistry sets at Amazon.

READ MORE - Link roundup

A few highlights from The Pillars of the Earth: A Tribute to the Masters at Distinction Gallery:


Sean Chappell, "Unsung Villains: The Master from Dr. Who Circa, 1980"



Pamela Wilson, "The Absinthe Drinker and the Hostile Silence"



Nathaniel Clark, "I approach the Cavern"



Dan Lydersen, "Mary"



Ivan Unwin, "The Den of Thieves"

READ MORE - The Pillars of the Earth: A Tribute to the Masters

1. Warren Ellis describes the origin of Valentine's Day (it involves werewolves). (I'm sure his site is NSFW.)

2. Especially with the nonsense this week about how video games cause rape, this is a particularly interesting observation:

For years we've been told that violence on TV creates imitation in real life. What, are police exempt from this theory? If a TV network makes felonies committed by a cop under color of authority entertainment, network standards and practices is complicit in fostering an atmosphere of lawlessness and disrespect for the Bill of Rights that can only encourage more official lawlessness.

3. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso have deals with Nike. ESPN claims that it didn't know. (Herbstreit called the national championship, if I remember correctly. It'd be interesting to listen to the broadcast and see if he praised Oregon's uniform.) Via.

READ MORE - Link roundup

Saturday Night Live featured an advertisement for a personal injury attorney specializing in injuries caused by viewings (or involvement in) Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. I love his suit and the list of possible claims at the end. Via.

*Buy Spider-Man Happy Meal toys at eBay.

READ MORE - Saturday Night Live makes fun of Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark

1. Hilarious: Lindsay Lohan might not have committed grand theft (stealing something worth more than $950) because although the price tag on the necklace was $2,500, it wasn't even worth half that much. Via.

2. And speaking of Valentine's Day-related scams, read about this one involving Groupon and FTD.

3. Finally, zombie and stalker-themed Valetines.

*But I'm sure the deals in Amazon's jewerly store are always good deals.

READ MORE - Link roundup